where can I find a pre-school curriculum?

[heidiann]

I'm looking to start doing pre-school type work with dd. She just turned 3 and will not be going to a pre-school type setting until next year, but I think she is getting bored just being here with me playing all day :)

I would love to start doing pre-school type activities with her but not sure how to organize, for lack of better wording, what I should be doing. I'm not even sure how to go about implementing the work so to speak. I mean I know I have to keep it short and fun, but what should I be doing?

TIA

[AngelaS]

Before Five in a Row is a great place to start. You read a classic child's story book every day and the BFIAR book will give you activities to do that go along with the story. :)

[egoldber]

There are lots of resources.

One book that I have used in the past, just for fun and resources is Slow and Steady Get Me Ready. Another series that can be used like preschool activities is The Toddler Busy Book and The Preschooler Busy Book.

A more "formal" approach can be found in free websites like www.letteroftheweek.com

[WatchingThemGrow]

That's a great idea to plan and do it yourself. Some friends are actually thinking about doing a little preschool co-op, and I haven't put much thought into it yet even though I'm one of the trained educators staying at home right now.

Here's something on our department of public instruction website, but check your own state's dept. of education website for some general guidelines. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/success/downloads/foundations.pdf I'm sure there are better ones somewhere.

For more specific activities with "lesson plans" you should do a search locally for a teacher supply store. There you'll be able to find some books that will have loads of preschool activities, with great pictures and explanations of activities your DD will love. I think you'll have to flip around and find one laid out in a fashion that motivates YOU and that YOU feel is easy and interesting to implement. I have a fantastic couple of books from my K teaching days up in the attic, and you've just inspired me to get up there and bring them down. DD and friends could really benefit from the fun learning activities. I'll come back and post links to them when they come down.

I'm sure others who actually do it will have much better ideas, so I'm looking forward to the responses on this thread. My guess is that there's a really good Montessori website for DIYers. Oh wait, someone posted a list of blogs last week and one of them was a mom doing activities with her DD. It was neat, and IIRC there were links to the site she used. Hmmm...

ETA: Link to easy to implement, clearly grouped theme book I have and love http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Resource-Book-Preschoolers-Curriculum/dp/0876591950/ref=pd_sim_b_2 In the reviews, her Daily Curriculum book also comes highly recommended.

[Tondi G]

If you want some kind of phonics workbooks my DS's montessori based preschool used the Explode the Code series and I had it recommended to me by another mom who is a teacher and does private tutoring as well!

http://www.epsbooks.com/dynamic/catalog/series.asp?subject=02S&subjectdesc=Phonics/Decoding++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++&series=1460M

[Raidra]

If you are planning on sending her to preschool, then you might want to be careful about overdoing it with curricula this year. There isn't a whole lot that is taught in preschool that won't be picked up during daily life.. and if you're actively trying to teach her academics, there's a chance she'll end up really bored in preschool.

Instead of worrying about academics with a new three-year-old (yikes, that is so young!), try doing things like nature walks, trips to (fun) museums, baking, lots of arts and crafts, and regular playgroups.

There's a lot of great info on this website: http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/lillian_jones_ps_kdgtn.html - from activities to reasons why you shouldn't push academics too early.

We're homeschoolers and we don't have a curriculum. We just live our lives. My 5 year old has mastered pretty much everything they teach in kindergarten just through our daily life, and he wouldn't even be going into kindergarten until next year, if we were planning on sending him to school.

[deannanb]

Daily Plans for Active Preschoolers
http://tinyurl.com/6c86xd

[KrisM]

If you are planning on sending her to preschool, then you might want to be careful about overdoing it with curricula this year. There isn't a whole lot that is taught in preschool that won't be picked up during daily life.. and if you're actively trying to teach her academics, there's a chance she'll end up really bored in preschool.

Instead of worrying about academics with a new three-year-old (yikes, that is so young!), try doing things like nature walks, trips to (fun) museums, baking, lots of arts and crafts, and regular playgroups.

There's a lot of great info on this website: http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/lillian_jones_ps_kdgtn.html - from activities to reasons why you shouldn't push academics too early.

We're homeschoolers and we don't have a curriculum. We just live our lives. My 5 year old has mastered pretty much everything they teach in kindergarten just through our daily life, and he wouldn't even be going into kindergarten until next year, if we were planning on sending him to school.

I agree. DS1 is in his second year of preschool. They talk about colors, letters, numbers, etc., but do it by singing songs, going on hunts for letters, and things like that. Not much in the way of "learning" that we weren't already doing here.

What he really did get out of preschool was the socializing with other kids without me there. Maybe there is some class you can do either together or without a parent that would get your daughter interacting with other kids and listening to other adults.

[brittone2]

We plan to homeschool (DS hasn't done preschool yet) but until recently, we mostly just focus on fun stuff. We do nature walks, we make nature bracelets (take masking tape, put it around their wrist, sticky side out, and let them decorate it with leaves, flowers, etc.). We raised butterflies from catepillars. We play games (starting w/ things like Hi Ho Cherry Oh, now moving onto math stories and working on dividing 12 items into 4 equal piles, kwim?). We have lots of math manipulatives...an abacus, tangrams, rulers, a preschool balance, a base 10 set with single units, strips of 10s, panels of 100, and cubes of 1000 to help them visualize, etc. Just playing w/ those manipulatives teaches them so much and DS asks so many great questions just through interacting with those materials. We read a lot. We read a lot of fiction and also non fiction (stuff like Usborne Books, Magic School Bus, etc.). We listen to books on CD. I love Greathall...they have stuff like Shakespeare for Children. We read good poems for little ones.

Starting around 4 or 4.5, I've provided books like Explode the Code and various workbooks (Singapore Math), but we follow DS's interest on this and it works out well. He won't touch it for weeks and then we come back to it and he can do 10 pages at a time.

We go to museums, we go for walks/hikes, we camp. DH and I aren't naturally very artistic, so we try to do some arts/music events. We try to keep learning interesting and alive. IMO, many boxed curricula really kill the joy ;) Some kids respond really well and love that structure, but I think for many kids it becomes too dull, and it is asking too much to expect them to sit still and work at a table/desk. I personally don't have a desire to recreate "school at home" kwim? There are so many other fun ways to learn. For a 3 year old, I'd really keep it fun, interesting, and alive vs. out of a box or book.

This site is a huge help. The site owner is a regular poster at MDC. Her son is a college student (or maybe a college grad?) at this point. She has a bunch of great links to fun projects, etc.
http://www.besthomeschooling.org/
this is the link that will take you to her compilation of great resources
http://www.besthomeschooling.org/gateway/intedws.html

eta: I wanted to agree w/ Rachel. DS has pretty much completed everything he'd be expected to know by the end of Kindergarden, and he wouldn't be scheduled to start until next year. I think the workbooks, etc. in many cases are just a way of recording what was already learned. In many cases I think it makes *us* feel better, but they really don't need them to learn, especially as preschoolers. We got out Explode the Code recently and DS was able to figure out the most complex exercises in there just from stuff we've been encountering and talking about on our own. It isn't like I went out of my way to sit him down and "teach" specific items. He just gets it through our natural interaction. He's starting to read, can add and subtract, etc.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I agree with the PPs who say to provide activities, but a lot of us just wouldn't "come up" with creative ideas on our own. I love taking a look at resources that give great ideas for hands-on activities - like the Early Childhood book I linked to. Gathering different materials and having children explore them in ways I wouldn't naturally think of is good for those of us who can easily overlook certain areas of thought. I, personally am not musically inclined, so we participate in a Kindermusik class. There are excellent parent idea books included with the materials. It REALLY helps me to have a guide for this and several other areas.

[CAM7]

We're seriously considering homeschooling... I've found good info on mothering.com and also found some yahoo groups in our area that homeschool. If you go to 'groups' on yahoo just search your town and 'homeschool' to see if any groups show up.

ETA: I found a few very good books on preschool curiculum at the local library!

[brittone2]

We're seriously considering homeschooling... I've found good info on mothering.com and also found some yahoo groups in our area that homeschool. If you go to 'groups' on yahoo just search your town and 'homeschool' to see if any groups show up.
:cheerleader1: :boogie:
It is challenging but so much fun :)

[MamaKath]

Instead of worrying about academics with a new three-year-old (yikes, that is so young!), try doing things like nature walks, trips to (fun) museums, baking, lots of arts and crafts, and regular playgroups.
Well stated!

[CAM7]

:cheerleader1: :boogie:
It is challenging but so much fun :)

Well, I figure we should take it one year at a time. I'd like to start a preschool curiculum this fall for my kiddos.

Our homeschoolers here in this area are super organized... there is a preschool group that meets up for field trips...and they all seem to be really supportive of each other!